Sale snap up the Angry Warthog and Du Preez from Sharks
South Africa internationals Akker "Angry Warthog" van der Merwe and Rob du Preez will leave one Sharks team at the end of the Super Rugby season for another after signing contracts with Sale until 2022, the English Premiership team announced on Monday.
Known in South Africa by his beastly nickname due to his energy and determination, hooker Van der Merwe broke into to the Springboks team during the 2018 June internationals, when he made three appearances.
"I feel the time is right in my career for a move away from South Africa. I have just started a family and after considering all my options with them, I feel this is the best one to take for us as a family," the 27-year-old said.
The 25-year-old Du Preez, whose father Robert also played for the national team, impressed the Sale Sharks hierarchy during a loan spell with the club earlier this season.
The fly-half won the Currie Cup last year with Durban-based Sharks, whose head coach is his father.
"I'm delighted to have signed for Sale and was very flattered when Dimes (Sale's director of rugby Steve Diamond) called and asked if I would consider joining the boys full-time in Manchester," Du Preez said in a club statement.
"It was an extremely difficult decision to leave the Sharks and Durban, especially with the family connections I have here, but I feel as though it is the right time in my career for a new challenge, a change of scenery and feel I can continue to test myself in the Premiership after the taster I had in 2018."
However, the pair's appearances for the English club could be restricted as South Africa Rugby announced on Saturday a radical contract overhaul which includes plans to enforce World Rugby's Regulation 9, which deals with when and how frequently club players must be released for international duty.